Half-Dragon Slave Life- Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Departure

One month had passed since I came to the town of Focalor.
During that time, I devoted myself to practicing both swordsmanship and magic every day. My daily life consisted of eating Master’s homemade cooking, and I continued to wonder if our master-servant relationship wasn’t somehow reversed.

Although I had only trained for a short amount of time, there were many things I came to understand.
First of all, it was established that I did not have a single shred of talent for magic.

It wasn’t like I didn’t have magic power. Rather, I had an unbelievable amount of it.
Maybe it was because I had turned into a half-dragon, but I had so much magic power that it easily surpassed 100 times the amount a normal person would have.
However, where I failed in utilizing magic lied in the crucial part of 『Comprehension of the Magic Formation』.
No matter how much I kneaded the magic power, I just couldn’t seem to shape it to match the magic formation.
Even though I had completely memorized it, I could only make formations that were partially distorted.
The current end result: the best I could do was making small flames or particles of light that disappeared in an instant.

Then, what about making magic tools? That was the obvious next step, but……
That also ended miserably.
Even though I had the Gift of “Magic Bestowal”, I couldn’t even make the simplest of tools.
Especially with this left hand. The clumsiness of these dragon-transformed fingers knew no bounds, and on top of that, its excessive power ended up mercilessly crushing the ingredients into oblivion.
“Then why don’t you try only adding magic power?” However, when I tried pouring magic power into a ring that Master made, it immediately exceeded the ring’s maximum capacity and shattered into pieces again.
It seemed that I was completely unsuited for delicate work.
So, the result of this one month was that we couldn’t figure out a way to make use of “Magic Bestowal”.

I was also taught how to write letters during this time, and since I was practicing them, I wrote down what I could remember in a diary. The sentences, which tried to sound a bit sophisticated, were embarrassing.
Diaries were not meant for people to see. I thought that this saying might be true.

The next thing was sword training, and it appeared that I had a surprising talent for it.
After I got used to the awkward balance caused by my right leg and left arm, more or less, I could nimbly limp about in addition to walking.
Also, since my Gift of “Acrobatics” had various overarching influences, it was possible for me to dodge attacks by moving like a fake acrobat.
Burns-san said 『If you don’t neglect the basics, you’ll easily surpass me』, and gave me his stamp of approval.

Incidentally, Burns-san, leaving aside his fundamental physical strength, had amazing technique.
I was told that because his ancestor was a famous knight, his family has had occupations closely related to the sword for generations. He was an accumulation of talent, so not even adventurers from around here could stand up to him.
He had apparently retired from being an adventurer in order to succeed his deceased father, but he still seemed fit for active duty on the front lines.

On the day of departure, the Cayenne [1] couple and Burns-san saw us off, and we left via the town gate.
For some reason, before we left, a voice cried out 『If it becomes too harsh, then come back and stay with Aunty, okay?』, but…… Even so, daily life with Master shouldn’t be that tough.
Well, there was that one incident though……

「Good people…..」 (Eir)

「Of course they are.」 (Rimuru)

After I gave my impressions, Master was puffing up his chest like it was an obvious fact.
His self-satisfied look from having his hometown praised was cute.

「Oh, by the way, about what we’re going to do after this.」 (Rimuru)

「Yes?」(Eir)

「First off, we’ll return to Sokaris for a bit and go register at the Adventurer’s Guild.」(Rimuru)

「Why?」(Eir)

Was there a reason for us to go out of our way to get the qualifications of an adventurer, even though he was going to be a school student?

「It will be easier to cross national borders after getting the qualification to be an adventurer. Normally you need stuff like a letter of introduction from a renowned person, or proof of membership to a number of guilds, after all.」(Rimuru)

「What do normal travelers do, then?」(Eir)

「Although it would be troublesome for individual travel, if you travel in a group, then you can have a travel planning agency give you their backing. The reason they say traveling in groups is easier is because those companies make it convenient.」(Rimuru)

「Hee~」(Eir)

「If countries didn’t do that, there would be an influx of criminals and such.」(Rimuru)

I had lived a life unrelated to travel, so this was the first time I had heard of this.
Huh? But……

「I, never did, that inspection thingy.」(Eir)

When I entered this country, the slave dealers went through the gates normally, with a “no-check”.
Of course, since we were merchandise, we also received a “no-check”.

「It’s because slave merchants have their own special routes. According to the stories, they have subordinates undercover as gatekeepers. The slave merchants match their timing to when those people are on duty and pass straight through. Apparently, that’s one of the methods.」(Rimuru)

「Hmm……」(Eir)

「Besides that, there’s apparently a list of guards who accept bribes, you know.」(Rimuru)

「Rimuru-sama, well-informed?」(Eir)

「Nn? ……Oh, when I decided on buying a slave, I researched a lot of things, you see. Slavery is more or less illegal in this country, so I had to be careful, after all.」(Rimuru)

So slavery was illegal in the Naberius Sacred Tree Country[2], was it? It wasn’t really seen as a bad thing, though.

「About that, you could say that it is a kind of necessary evil. Especially in Sokaris’ case. I guess you could say slaves are indispensable there.」(Rimuru)

「Why?」(Eir)

「It’s because the labyrinth is there. They are used for carrying baggage and as combat personnel. There’s a lot of other reasons too.」(Rimuru)

「Examples?」(Eir)

「If you hire someone to carry your baggage, they might steal it, or you’re in a grave situation and might have to run away and leave your companions as fodder, stuff like that can happen, right? However, if it was a slave…… Well, they can’t exactly make off with your belongings, and you wouldn’t be criticized for abandoning them.」(Rimuru)

They absolutely couldn’t betray you, and there was a demand for disposable tools. I suppose those were the reasons slavery was overlooked.

「Of course, there are many people who oppose slavery. They are primarily adventurers from the traditional school of thought. I also thought the same way until recently.」(Rimuru)

「Different now?」(Eir)

「I am still the same…is what I would like to say. I had no choice but to choose this method in order to achieve my goals.」(Rimuru)

「Goal…… Enrollment in Raum?」(Eir)

「Well, there’s that too.」(Rimuru)

Raum Magic Academy had the world’s largest library. Even if I had never been to school, I had heard rumors of it.

「But, in Sokaris too, is an Adventurer Training School. Can be properly taught magic there, or should be?」(Eir)

「Yea. I could be there in a very conventional way…… But what I’m searching for can’t be found there.」(Rimuru)

For some reason, that was a strange way to say it. Also, his tone was different from usual. It was……scary?

「Well, let’s leave that aside. Once I get the qualifications of an adventurer, the next step is to mix in as escorts for a group, such as traders, and travel to Raum.」(Rimuru)

「Eh, not just, the two of us?」(Eir)

「It would be dangerous for just us two. It’s not like Eir is accustomed to using a sword yet either. Also, stuff like camping at night would become difficult. The more people the better.」(Rimuru)

「That is also…… I see.」(Eir)

When keeping watch at night, having two shifts of six hours had completely different results from four shifts of two hours each.
Also, if we let our fatigue pile up, it could affect the speed of our travel.
There were only two months before the entrance exams, and if we considered that it would take six weeks to reach Raum, we were already cutting it really close.(TL/ED: We aren’t sure why the numbers don’t add up, possible error on author’s part.)

「Ah, but I am……」(Eir)

「Yea, Eir’s figure will probably…… I think it might cause a lot of problems. That’s why I have to make sure to demonstrate that you are my slave upfront. I think it might cause you some discomfort, but please bear with it, okay?」(Rimuru)

「Is fine. I am slave, after all, don’t mind.」(Eir)

When he heard my response, Master made a terrible frown.

「Umm, how should I put this….. I know I bought Eir as a slave, and it might be strange for me to say this right after telling you that I will be treating you like a slave, but…… For me, I’m not good at handling stuff like that, so please don’t devalue yourself too much. I would appreciate it.」(Rimuru)

「Eh? Uhmm……」(Eir)

「I am aware that what I’m saying is contradictory, though. Well, what I am saying is that you don’t have to stress yourself out when it’s just the two of us.」(Rimuru)

「Yes…… Aa, umm, okay?」(Eir)

I tried to reply as frankly as possible. Master was wearing a smile as bright as the sun.
Not good. That expression…… was a lady killer.

「Great. I’m sure you noticed, but there weren’t any children the same age as me in that town. I was thinking that I would like to have a friend.」(Rimuru)

「Same age? I, one year older.」(Eir)

「I know that, but it really just doesn’t seem that way, huh. Eir is small, after all.」(Rimuru)

「Muu」(Eir)

Since I was the only daughter of a charcoal maker, I hadn’t been very well-nourished to begin with, and I wasn’t very tall. Rather, I was short, super short.
Now that I thought about it, father was also short. Were we a lineage of shorties?
On top of that, I only ate simple meals for the last month, and the stress had withered me away to just skin and bones. I ended up looking even smaller.
For me to look a year younger…I might have fallen into a dire condition.

「Or perhaps, would you like me to call you 『Onee-san』?」(Rimuru)

Uguu, that is a bit……something was coming out of my nose.

— I might have…a nosebleed.

「That, is alright. Rimuru-sama, unexpectedly a tease.」(Eir)

「Why is that? Well, I don’t plan on calling you that either. Also, when we are alone, can you stop using the “sama”?」(Rimuru)

「That won’t do. Clear distinction.」(Eir)

Rather, if I didn’t have a fixed way of referring to him, it was possible that I would carelessly speak to him without honorifics in public.
Even during the past month, it was established that I didn’t have any ability to put things into practical use. Although, that was only limited to magic.

While we continued our pointless conversation, a loud sound came from in front of us. There was a magic power response…… Was something using magic?

「Eir!」(Rimuru)

「Yes!」(Eir)

Master was tense as he spoke. I drew my sword and ran ahead.
Right now, we were on the side of a gently sloping hill, but a loud clamor could be heard from the other side.
The closer we got, the louder the sounds were. Clashing steel, screams, and something that sounded like magic exploding reached my ears.

「Rimuru-sama, please wait here, will go see what is happening!」(Eir)

I shouted, and didn’t wait for a reply before rushing forward.
I made large strides by kicking off the ground with my right leg and only used my left leg to not fall over; a unique running style.
I climbed the hill in a single breath, and on the other side, I saw a group of wagons being attacked by a gang with shabby equipment.
They were probably thieves. I could tell that the wagon group was at a disadvantage.
The figure of a woman was on a wagon. That woman’s clothes were half torn off, and a vulgar man was pushing her down.

「Deeyaaaaaa」(Eir)

I leapt high into the sky and let out a vigorous cry to grab the thief’s attention.
At first, it seemed like the thief couldn’t tell where the voice was coming from.
Of course, that would be the case, since I had jumped nearly 10 m into the air.
Using the momentum of my descent, I sliced through the man’s back.

「Gyabuu!?」

The greatsword that I was borrowing from Burn-san cut the thief clean in two, from the head down. Despite that, it kept going, and the blade of the sword was buried into the ground.
I promptly pulled the sword out of the ground and took my stance, my dagger in my right hand.
Even after cutting through a person vertically and being slammed into the ground, there wasn’t a single chip on the blade. This sword might be amazing.

「What the, you bitch!」(Thief)

「Don’t know what’s happening…… But here to help!」(Eir)

「Uu, p-please!」(Woman)

Normally, you wouldn’t be able to decide which side to help just by looking, but guys who assaulted women were definitely not good people.
Even if they had righteousness and justice on their side, there was no way they could be good!

「Stinkin’ brats like you shouldn’t be butting in!」

The thieves came rushing towards me. There were four of them. The corpses of three people, probably bodyguards, lay in the surroundings.
Other than them, there was an armorless man holding a dagger. He was probably the owner of this wagon? There was also the woman on the wagon.
There was a magic response coming from her, so she was likely a magician who was with the bodyguards.

「Oraaaaaaa!」

The enthusiastic man who came at me while shouting was sent flying by a horizontal swing of the greatsword.
Again, he was blown away while his leather armor was torn in half.
The thieves, witnessing the unbelievable sight of a man’s body flying away while being split in two, stopped moving for an instant.
My dragon left eye wouldn’t let a chance like that slip by.
That single instant was plenty of time to take care of the remaining three thieves.
I threw the dagger in my right hand, swung the greatsword, and finally, threw a kick with my right leg, which had transformed into a lethal weapon.
The men didn’t even have time to scream. They were blown away like broken dolls.

In less time than it took to blink, the men became things that couldn’t be called “bodies”.

TL note: For those of you who only read the first drafts of earlier chapters, Kaien’s name was changed to Cayenne. Cayenne is the name of the capital city of French Guiana. Most commonly the name is associated with Cayenne Peppers but also can refer to the breed of pineapple most people eat.
Ironically, peppers and pineapples are both fruits not vegetables (Cayenne being the owner of a vegetable store). Perhaps the name refers to his “spicy” humor/ love life.

TL note: Like most of the city names in this novel, Naberius is the name of “the most valiant demon marquess of hell” who leads 19 legions of demons. He is often depicted as a 3 headed dog/part raven and is heavily implied to be the same demon as the greek Cerberus.